How to do Homework Without Throwing Up!

Perhaps you've seen this catchy Trevor Romain title that deals with getting kids over the homework hump (there's also a DVD version!).   Many kids and their parents would agree with this sentiment, especially my upper elementary students. There are so many philosophies out there about homework: Should we have it, should we not? How much is helpful? How much is too much?  I like this article about homework and especially the two reflection questions about whether the assigned homework is getting kids more excited about learning and supporting deeper thinking on the subject matter.

So, why am I talking about homework as a school counselor?! You may remember my post about report card conferences and my interventions to support academics this school year.  There has been a recurring theme in my talks with students and teachers.  Missing homework assignments and lack of effort on homework is significantly impacting students' grades.  It seems as if it's time for a pep talk (and yes, I have shown this video to my students!):

Did that  make you feel better?! Now, get ready to complete and UNDERSTAND some homework in Groovy Mrs. Poovey's homework club!  In previous years, I have always implemented homework clubs for 3 or 4 weeks before I begin my EOG groups (group booklet coming to TPT soon!) so I can get a clear picture of what students are excelling on or struggling with before we work on EOG strategies. This year, I am supporting students in homework club for a longer amount of time.  We have already been meeting for three weeks and will probably meet 2 or 3 more times before we start our formal EOG sessions.  In addition, I usually only include students in my homework clubs and EOG groups that have missed the passing scale score for the Reading or Math EOG by one or two points.  This year, I am allowing teacher referrals for my fifth grade homework club and have 20+ students each week. Only the "bubble" students will continue to the EOG sessions, but everyone will have classroom EOG lessons.  So, how am I running homework club?

1.  Start with data.  Talk to your teachers, go through PowerSchools with them, and identify the kids who truly need homework club support.  My third and fourth grade homework clubs are only the 5 or 6 kids who were identified as "on the bubble" with EOG scale scores, and it is manageable. My 20+ kids in fifth grade homework club require more energy so make sure you have the kids who will benefit most.  Another unfortunate source of data may be "write-ups". My school's discipline policy states that students with 3+ missed homework assignment will receive a parent notification, and I receive copies of all of those infractions so I am always aware of the students who are struggling to turn in homework.

2.  Talk to the students.  I gave my fifth grade homework club kids this Google survey (right) during our first

meeting because I think it's important to hear what STUDENTS think is the problem. It was interesting to read what they thought was hardest about homework and what was keeping them from doing homework (distractions, sports, pets, video games).....very enlightening!

3.  Use incentives and make it FUN.  Doing homework during lunchtime once a week is probably not on the top of my students' favorite things list so I try to make it fun.  I started homework club by giving out V.I.P., Very Intelligent Person, passes the first week to set the right tone (see above example). I also pick a Person of the Day who has shown the most focus and determination to complete work.  They receive a STAR ticket (our positive reinforcement system), which results in an automatic prize from my office. This week I am going to try some fun background music from my favorite station on Pandora, Eklipse (check it out!).  I am also keeping weekly attendance and students who make it for a fourth consecutive time to club this week will receive an extra special Easter treat.
Hit me up via email  - apoovey@hotmail.com- if you have additional questions about my homework club structure.  I am happy to share any other details I may not have covered in this post.
Enjoy and Happy Counseling!
                    ~ Angela

It's MADNESS......

March School Madness

I'm not just talking about bracketology, my friends.  This is the time of the year when I feel like I need an extra shot of espresso in the morning (I don't even drink coffee) and wheels on my feet, and I am not the only one.  Everyone is counting down to spring break and needs a pick me up! So, here is what I am doing to keep the spirit alive for the next 15 days until our abbreviated (thank you SNOW) Spring break occurs.

TEACHERS

Do you remember my Easter egg hunt from last year?  It is back and better than ever thanks to my principal coming through with some delicious treats.  I am still including my funny and inspirational quotes (e.g. Ryan Gosling among others) and hope to spread some cheer the week before break.

We are also doing our own March Madness brackets for bragging rights (and maybe a small gag gift) with staff.  The brackets were due today and points will be updated after each round in our staff mailroom.  I'm hoping to get my College Madness bulletin board back up like last year with the team mascots, but did I mention my "to do list" has its own madness going on right now?! (#nopromises)

STUDENTS

Ever since attending a session at the November NCSCA conference with the entertaining Mr. Kip Jones (Tweet him at @AuthorMrJ), I have had my heart set on coming up with a school pledge and school theme song.  Back in December I proposed an essay contest for any students who wanted to answer the following questions:

       1- What does it mean to you to be a Cleveland STAR?

       2- What is special about being a Cleveland STAR?

I got great answers from a group of third and fourth graders who have amazing school spirit. We have been working the last couple of months to summarize their essays into a concrete and succinct school pledge.  After it was complete, our art club decorated the pledges (pic coming soon), which were then laminated and handed out to each classroom to be posted.

Next was the more difficult part. One of our third graders picked the perfect tune for our theme song, and we got to work writing lyrics.  We used Audacity (free download) on the computer to record and edit our vocals.  Then, we imported the track into the iMovie app and added video clips of the performers.  Fifth grade students applied to be dancers in the video and added the perfect dance moves to give our video some extra flair.  It was a lot of work with the limited technology available, but I hope you will enjoy  our final product. The kids worked really hard, and I am super proud of
them!   Enjoy and Happy Counseling! ~ Angela

Say YES to MTSS!

 

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RtI. MTSS. SST. SAT. A-Team.  The evolution of documented interventions and progress monitoring in school systems has been long and full of  paperwork. And no matter the acronym used in your county, Response to Intervention (RtI)/Multi-Tiered System Support (MTSS) is a process school counselors need to be involved in.  However, talking about RtI/MTSS isn't particularly exciting.  In fact, many school counselors prefer to not be overly involved in the process or only interact with the RtI/MTSS team when a student behavior issue arises.  You may only be called in to do an observation or help out with a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) and Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP).  Wow.....there are A LOT of acronyms!

My experience with MTSS has been long and varied depending on my school and the personnel available. I have always been a part of the team but was not the coordinator until I switched schools a few years ago.  Although it does take up more of my time, I have found ways to turn my coordinator position into a win-win for my school counseling program.  Here's how:

1.  Use the Data:  Remember the post about my     3-5 report card conferences and my Stuey Lewis book club with second graders?  Those interventions were all based on MTSS data at the Tier 2 or Tier 3 level.   My co-counselor and I are also meeting with first and second grade students on Tier 2 about general academic habits such as homework hygiene and paying attention in an attempt to keep them from moving to Tier 3.  At my school, primary students have a developmental report card that is not as conducive to report card conferences. In addition,  many of the students I see in individual counseling have come to my attention through Tier 3 MTSS data.

2.   Collaborate and Consult with Teachers:  My monthly MTSS PLC time is often the only time I get to sit down with an entire grade level at one time.  Everyone's schedules are hectic and it is difficult to grab more than 5 minutes with someone as you walk down the hallway to your next lesson, much less an entire grade level.  We have set aside one day/month when all grade levels meet during their planning periods to discuss student data, intervention plans, and the MTSS process.  These conversations have been the catalyst for a new homework club I am starting with fifth graders (more to come on that in a future post!) and additional attendance interventions for students as teachers express their concerns.

3.   Learn About Academic Interventions:  Many school counselors were not teachers prior to entering this profession and sometimes we feel like we are at a disadvantage when we can't throw out educational jargon like TRC (Text to Reading Comprehension), ORF (Oral Reading Fluency), and phonemic awareness or talk about bubble maps with ease.  MTSS is a great place to learn! I didn't know a lot about Symbaloo's until I was in a MTSS meeting with a reading interventionist and now I use a Symbaloo Webmix for e-books when I do a computer lab lesson with my Kindergarten students. I certainly hadn't heard of the Florida Center for Reading Research prior to being involved in MTSS and now I can talk about reading interventions with any grade level.  No school counseling graduate program would have ever taught me that!

The point is, no matter the roles you undertake at your school, you can use them to your advantage in your comprehensive school counseling program.
           So think outside the box, keep learning, and Happy Counseling!
                             ~ Angela